Udupi's Kundapur Taluk: Water, check. Roads, check.Internet? Down

From being declared a Naxal-hit region, Amasebail village in Kundapur Taluk of Udupi district has come a long way in the last 10 years. Today, the village is not only 100 per cent solar compliant but also wears the look of a town with tar roads, bus connectivity, electric lines and an ever-busy marketplace.

Out of the total population of 3,034 in Amasebail, 801 belong to the SC/ST communities and the development fund coupled with the Naxal-affected area development fund have helped this village achieve growth that is unparalleled to any in the vicinity so much so that the biggest problem the people have here is mobile connectivity- unlike its neighbouring villages that only seek water. 

"Just 10 years ago, all we had were mud roads and two buses a day. Today we have all the facilities that a city would have," says Harikrishna Ullur, the postmaster of Amasebail post office. He, however, adds that while basic amenities are present the nearest full-fledged hospital is in Kundapur town some 34 kms away. While the Amasebail gram panchayat, that includes villages of Amasebail, Machattu and Rattadi has 12 schools, the nearest college is 8 kms away. 

*Incumbent is popular*

Current legislator of the constituency Halady Srinivas Shetty won as an independent in the 2013 elections but returned to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on whose ticket he will contest the May 12 assembly elections. Shetty is extremely popular among the electorate of Amasebail - a village that still hosts a camp of the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF).

"There have been no Naxal activities here since 2007. Our constant combing and the existence of a camp here has driven them out to forests of Kerala," says Manjunath Anaji, Reserve Police Inspector who heads a team of 30 men at the ANF camp in Jeddinagadde near Amasebail. The 30 men standing guard for the village cast their votes through postal ballots. "We watch television to understand the situation at our home constituencies and keep in constant touch with our family members," says a constable of the ANF when asked about the election. 

As they stand guard, nearly 7,593 people in the entire gram panchayat live in peace. While the remote village has undergone a positive makeover, poverty haunts the people of Amasebail gram panchayat. Majority of its population work as daily wage labourers at the nearby cashew factories.

"I only vote for the flower drawing (Lotus symbol of the BJP)," says 48-year-old Jayalakshmi innocently. Like many voters in Kelasanka, a village near Amasebail, she has never met her MLA but votes diligently for a particular party's symbol because it is the popular choice at her house. "There is no mobile network here and in the case of an emergency, we are troubled. All we ask for is a mobile tower," says 22-year-old Rekha Acharya who has a smartphone but no network on the same. She adds that there are no water pipes in the entire village but that isn't a problem that troubles them thanks to wells and borewells. 

Many in the village believe that the Naxal problem has helped them gain the attention of the authorities resulting in development. While the villagers hope for more mobile towers (currently there are 2 mobile towers, one of BSNL and another of Airtel), they are happy with the Siddaramaiah government's schemes for pensioners, handicapped individuals, pregnant women and anganwadis. All they want now is a mobile tower for better connectivity.